Stereotype plate trimming machine



Nov. 17, 1936. E'. J. SMITH STEREOTYPE PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE Filed Nov. 20, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 VENTCSR 071,1 k

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. J. SMITH .STEREOTYPE PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE Filed Nov. 20, 1951 Nov. 17, 1936.

, Nov. 17 1936. E. J. SMITH 4 2,061,292

STEREOTYPE PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE Filed Nov. 20, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTOR Patented Nov. 17, 1936 'Nl'lED STATES PATENT OFFICE STEREOTYPE PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE Application November 20, 1931, Serial No. 576,269 In Great Britain September 25, 1931 8 Claims.

The invention relates to new and. useful improvements in stereotype plate finishing machines, and more especially to such improvements in such machines especially adapted to finish a set of stereotype color plates in accurate mutual register.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with parts in section, of a machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on line 22 of Fig. I; and

Fig. 3 is a combined section and elevation on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The invention is directed to providing mechanism for accurately finishing stereotype plates, and probably finds its widest and most useful field of application in uniformly and accurately finishing the stereotype plates of a color set, that is, the plates for the several colors to be used in multicolor printing, so that their respective designs are a all in the same exact positional relation on the several plates, and thus, when the plates are placed on their respective cylinders, their colors will exactly register in the completed design on the web or other printed surface. One of the'chief advantages of the invention is that it produces a set of stereotype color plates which are so made and finished that they are brought into mutual printing register by placing them on their respective cylinders, and require no subsequent positional adjustment by means of the plate clamps in an attempt to effect approximate registry of the various plates. With this end in view, a finishing machine is provided having its plate supporting and finishing devices relatively settable orvariably positionable preparatory to finishing all the plates of the color set exactly in accordance with the settings of the machine for the first plate of the set, whereby the edges of each plate are exactly in the same positional relation toits design as are the edges of the other plates to their respective designs.

In accordance with certain features of the invention, the finishing mechanism is alinable and setable toregistry indications on one plate of a set and as so alined and set is then capacitated to trim the remaining plates of the set so as to have the edges of the plates in exactly the same relation to their respective designs as are those of the first plate to its design, thereby efiecting an exact press registry of all the plates, and obviating working out the usual approximate registration by fine adjustment of the various plates on their respective cylinders.

Further, in the present preferred embodiment, the invention is correlated with, and finds its most efiicient use with the inventions of my copending application, now Patent No. 1,964,367, granted June 26, 1934, and the copending application of Harland Fankboner, now Patent No. 2,027,524, granted January 14, 1936, wherein a color set of matrices arebrought to exactly the same size, with their designs in exactly the same relation to their edges and bearing mutually registering means for effecting identical positioning of the various matrices in the casting chamber, and the set of plates cast from those matrices have identical mutually registering devices cast in them from registering marks that were made in the matrices.

The finishing machine of the present invention is accordingly provided with alining devices that are multi-directionally movable to bring them into registry with the matrix-created alining marks cast in one of the stereotype plates, the alining devices being then set or fixed in that alined position and the edges of the plate trimmed. The successive stereotype plates of the set, by means of the registry marks cast in them from their respective matrices, are then positioned in the finishing machine in exact registry with the so fixed or set alining devices, and are then trimmed, the edges of each of the successive plates being thus in exactly the same position with respect to their designs as are the edges of the first plate to its design.

The invention in certain of its features is widely applicable and useful in finishing other kinds of stereotype plates, and it will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well, are illustrative and explanatory, but are not restrictive of the invention.

Referring now in detail to the present preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, the machine has a bed I supported by a frame 2. In said embodiment, I prefer to employ multi-directionally movable alining devices, which are then fastened in registering or alining position. The supported plate is movable longitudinally and angularly to bring it into register with the alining devices, and the trimming mechanism, and the latter are then moved by hand to trim the plate. In this embodiment both of the curved ends of the plate and one straight edge, the driving edge,

are trimmed. The general type of trimmingv means employed here is that wherein the plate cutting or trimming member is mounted directly on the shaft of its driving motor, which in turn is mounted to describe a predetermined pathway on the machine structure, the cutting device being moved along that pathway manually by the operator.

The cutting device for the straight edge of the plate has a rotary knife I I, fixed on shaft I2 of electric motor I3, the motor being fixedly mounted on a carriage I4, mounted on pairs of rollers I5 and IE, which run in a guideway I'I formed in the extension I8 of the frame. The carriage I4 also has projecting guides ZI and 22 formed on either side thereof, these guides running respectively in guideways formed by rails or plates 23 and 24, to insure absolutely accurate running of the cutting devices in the predetermined path. A handle 25 is fastened to the motor casing, by which the operative moves the cutting device along its trackway to trim the straight edge of the plate.

In this embodiment, two trimming devices for the respective curved and beveled edges of the plate are provided, each of these devices-being mounted to travel by manual propulsion in a predetermined arcuate path upon the machine structure to trim the plate edge. One of these devices is provided with a rotating beveling cutter 3|, mounted on spindle 32 of motor 33. The motor 33 is mounted in fixed position upon an annular carriage 31, which is mounted to rotate upon the projecting cylindrical hub 38 of a pillar or pedestal 39, fixed on a seat 48 on the machine frame I. An annular internal fiat face on carriage 3'! bears against a similar fiat face on a shoulder 44 formed on pedestal 39; and on its other side carriage 3'I bears against the inner fiat face of a ring 45, the ring being fastened to the pedestal 39 by bolts 46. The cutter carriage 31 is thus held firmly in its true path against longitudinal movement, while being free for the angular movement required in trimming the curved edge of the plate. A handle 41 is fastened to motor 33, by which the mechanism is swung angularly during the trimming of the plate.

The device for cutting the other curved edge of the plate is of the same or similar construction and operation. It has a rotary cutter 54, mounted on shaft 55 of motor 56. The motor casing 56 is mounted in fixed position upon an annular carriage 51, similar to the carriage 31. This carriage is rotatably mounted on a cylindrical portion 58 of a pedestal 59, which is fastened on a seat 88 formed on the frame I. The inner fiat face of the downwardly projecting portion of annular carriage 51 bears against the flat face of a shoulder I33 formed on the pedestal 59, and the opposite outer face of the carriage 5'lbears on the fiat inner face of a housing 64, fastened to the flat face of pedestal 59 by bolts 65. The further purposes of the housing will be later described. A handle I56 projects from the motor casing by which the cutting mechanism is swung in its arcuate path to trim the plate.

Said embodied form of alining means are in, or may be brought into, fixed relation with the plate trimming means, and are preferably multi-directionally movable preparatory to being fixed in the registering or alining position. The alining means cooperates with some predetermined part of the design on the plate, but usually and preferably with a registering mark formed or cast into the stereotype plate. These means are of especial use and eificiency in effecting identical registry of the designs on successive plates with respect to the trimming devices, and thereby effecting exact and identical positional relation between the designs of all the plates and the edges thereof. Two such alining devices are preferably used. In the present embodied form, in one of these devices, a rod 69 is mounted in vertically-disposed standards !9 and II, supported upon and projecting upwardly from the extension I8 of the frame. Mounted on rod 69, to be slidably and angularly movable is a hub-like carriage I2, to which is fixed a centrally apertured sleeve I3. A clamping screw I4 serves to fix the carriage in both angular and longitudinal position on the rod 69. The alining device comprises one or more points 75 projecting from a block II, fixed on and extending fro-m a rod I6, which rod is mounted in the internal aperture in the sleeve I3 to have both longitudinal and angular movement relatively thereto. A clamping screw I1 is provided to hold the alining device in any final fixed alining position.

The other alining device is generally similar, and comprises a rod 84, mounted in a pair of vertically-disposed standards 85 and 86, fixed upon the other side of and extending upwardly from the frame I. The carriage 81 of the alining device is longitudinally and angularly movable upon its supporting rod 84, and is held in final fixed alining position both longitudinally and angularly by a clamping screw 88. An internally longitudinally cylindrical sleeve 89 is integral with the hub 81, and the pointed alining member 98 is fixed on a block 93, fixed on and extending from a rod 9|, which rod is both angularly and longitudinally movable in the internal orifice in the sleeve 89. A clamping screw 92 holds the alining device in any final fixed alining position.

In the present embodied form, the plate support is both angularly and longitudinally mov-. able to bring successive plates into exact register with the fixed alining points. Accordingly, a plate support I93 is fixed on a shaft I84. In this embodiment, the head or non-driving straight edge of the plate is not trimmed and when the plate is put on the support, the head abuts upon a stop I85, carried by and extending along and projecting from the surface of the plate support. The plate rests upon the particylindrical surface of supporting member I83, and at the tail end of the plate, the support is recessed or concaved (Fig. 2) so that the tail of the plate overhangs and the cutter may pass freely during the trimming of the straight edge of the plate. Means are provided for holding the plate in position upon the support with its head against the stop I05, and in said embodied means a pair of arcuately faced pads or clamps I99 are adapted to press yieldingly on the face of the plate. The pads or clamps I09 are mounted respectively upon stems III], which are mounted for longitudinal movement in sleeves H 'I theipads :beingipressedroutwardly by a spring I I2, and their movementr being limited by' set screws II3. The.;sleeves=,III are mounted slidably in supporting and guiding blocks IIQ-and I26, which in .turn. are. slidingly mounted in guides in armsv Ill and I22 supported on: and extending upwardly from the plate support I03. The actuating-meanscomprises a shaft 'I23journaled in arms I2I and I22 and havingiat either end eccentric'pini andslot. connections with the blocks H9 and I 20; respectively. A handle I24 and suitable stop deviceszare provided.

In the embodied means for imparting longitudinal. registering or alining movement to a plate, the support and plate are'moved' together. Accordingly, the right-hand end of: shaft, I6 1 .inFig. 1 is journalled in thepedestal 39;. The

end of shaft iIII4'is centrally internally apertured to receive the enlarged cylindrical head I35; of a screw-rod I36, which: is screw-threaded into a hand Wheel I37: Rod. I36 is longitudinally movable but is held against rotation by a key and keyway I34. Acap plate IM- is screwed on to the flat endof'shaft' I04 to hold screw rod I36 longitudinally while permitting rotational movement. The handwh'eel I37 is mounted in the ring 45 to permit r'otationalwhile preventing longitudinal movement thereof. Accordingly, a reduced cylindrical inner projection N2 of the hand wheel is journalled within the central aperture of ring 45, and a plate I43is screwed onto the inner flat face of the hub of the hand Wheel, and overlaps onto the inner flat face of ring 45, to prevent outward movement thereof.

A flat plate I I? is screwed on to the fiat outer side of the bore in the journal block, to close the lubricating space for the shaft. By turning the hand wheel I31, a very fine positional registration of the plate is effected with reference to the alining devices I and 90, and thus with the trimming cutters 3I- and 54 for the curved edges of the plate.

Referring now to the means for effecting the angular registration or alinement of the supported plate with respect to the alining devices, the right-hand end of shaft I04 in Fig. 2 is journalled in the pedestal 59, and has a central, internal aperture I58. Within and projecting from this bore I58 is a short shaft I59, connected thereto by a feather I60, whereby the two shafts have common angular motion, but are longitudinally movable with respect to each other during the axial alinement of the plate. The shaft I59 is journalled in hubs formed in the housing 65, which it will be recalled is bolted to the exterior face of pedestal 59. Fixed on the shaft I59 within the housing is a worm wheel I63, which meshes with a worm I 64, the shaft I65 of which is journalled in hubs I66 and I6? formed in the housing 64. Fixed to shaft IE5 is a hand wheel I68. By turning the hand wheel I68, the exact angular alinement or registration of the supported plates with the straight edge cutting device is effected, and the worm drive then holds it against any further movement, and thus the driving or tail edge of the plate is out 01f or trimmed by the cutter II is in exact predetermined positional relation with respect to the design of the plate.

As exemplary of the use of the machine, when the first plate of a set of color plates is placed in the machine preparatory to trimming, the alining devices may be moved multi-directionally, if necessary or desirable, to bring them and the design upon the plate into a predetermined or desired registered relation, and thereupon the alining devices-are fixed in position. The alined or registered relation of the alining devices .with the design on the plate is usually fixed or determined by registering marks cast in the plate from corresponding marks formed in the matrix. When the plate is so positioned, the clamping devices hold it firmly in position. The operator then by grasping the handles moves the three cutters along their tracks, and thereby the straight drivingedge and the two curve edges of theplate are finished in the exact desired registration with respect to the design on the plate. When the succeeding plates of a color set, or any set of plates, are placed in turn upon the plate support, the design of each plate is brought into the same alined or registered relation with the alining devices 75 and 90, and thereby with the various plate-trimming devices. Usually all of" the plates will have the alining marks cast therein from the matrix, as previously described, and the registrationwill be effected by these. Thus, each of the plates after such positional alinement, will have its edges trimmed so that the design of each platewill be in exactly the same positional relation to the edges thereof as are the designs on the other plates to their edges respectively.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and: described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:-

1. A machine for finishing stereotype plates including in combination a cylindrical plate supporting member for supporting curved stereotype plates, means for angularly-and axially moving said'member and supported plate, means for seporting member for supporting curved stereotype plates, means for angularly and axially moving said member and supported plate, means for securely holding the plate in any position to which it is moved, and plate trimming means including means movable axially of the plate for trimming the driving edge of the plate and a pair of trimming means mounted for arcuate movement about the axis of said cylindrical member and spaced a predetermined distance apart, each of said trimming means comprising an independently movable, motor driven cutting tool.

3. A machine for finishing stereotype plates including in combination a cylindrical plate supporting member for supporting curved stereotype plates, means for angularly and axially moving said member and supported plate, means for securely holding the plate in any position to which it is moved, and plate trimming means including means movable axially of the plate for trimming the driving edge of the plate and a pair of trimming means mounted for arcuate movement about the axis of said cylindrical member and spaced a predetermined distance apart, said pair of trimming means each comprising an independently movable, counterbalanced, cutting tool.

4. A machine for finishing stereotype plates including in combination a cylindrical plate supporting member for supporting curved stereotype plates, means for angularly and axially moving said member and supported plate, means for securely holding the plate in any position to which it is moved, and plate trimming means including means movable axially of the plate for trimming the driving edge of the plate and a pair of trimming means mounted for arcuate movement about the axis of said cylindrical member and spaced a predetermined distance apart, said pair of trimming means comprising independently movable, motor driven cutting tools and said axially movable trimming means comprising a motor driven cutting tool and a track at one side of said cylinder on which said last named means is slidable.

5. A machine for finishing stereotype plates including in combination a cylindrical substantially horizontal support for an arcuate plate upon which the plate is positioned and rests by gravity, said support being stationary during the trimming of the plate, cutters at either side of the support and means for moving them in an arcuate path to trim the edges of the plate, a cutter alongside the support and means for moving it in a straight path to trim a straight edge of a plate, and mechanisms for minutely moving the support axially and arcuately to position the plate with respect to the cutters preparatory to trimming the plate.

6. A machine for finishing stereotype plates including in combination a cylindrical substantially horizontal support for an arcuate plate upon which the plate is positioned and rests by gravity, said support being stationary during the trimming of the plate, a stop on the support against which a straight edge of the plate abuts, cutters at either side of the support and means for moving them in an arcuate path to trim the edges of the plate, a cutter on the opposite sideof the support from the stop and means formoving it in a straight path to trim a straight edge of the plate, and mechanisms for minutely moving the support axially and arcuately to position the plate with respect to the cutters preparatory to trimming the plate.

7. A machine for finishing stereotype plates including in combination a cylindrical support upon which an arcuate plate is positioned and rests by gravity with three of its edges free for trimming, arcuate cutters at either side of the support and means for guiding them through arcuate paths to trim the arcuate edges of the positioned plate, a cutter and means for guiding it along a straight path to trim the free straight edge of the plate, and means for minutely moving the support axially and arcuately to position the plate with respect to the cutters preparatory to trimming the plate.

8. A machine for finishing stereotype plates including in combination a cylindrical, substantially horizontal support for an arcuate plate upon which the plate is positioned and rests by gravity with three of its edges free for trimming, a cutter at either side of the support, fixed arcuate trackways along which the cutters are movable to trim the plate, a cutter alongside the support, a straight trackway along which the cutter is movable to trim a straight edge of the plate, registering means mounted on the machine and adapted to register with marks in the plate made by the matrix, and means for minutely moving the support to bring said marks on successive plates into register with the registering means as positioned with respect to a previous plate preparatory to trimming the successive plates.

ERNEST JAMES SMITH. 

